Former King of Queens star Kevin James signs massive television and movie deal

Comedian Kevin James will make a (hopefully triumphant) return to television after his hit sitcom King of Queens ended production in 2007. After several years of starring in films such as Grown Ups, Here Comes the Boom and The Zookeeper, James has signed a film and television deal with Lionsgate which includes starring in and executive producing a multi-camera comedy under the newly popular 10/90 model.

The 10/90 deal is a syndication deal where the syndication company sells a program to a cable station for a 10-episode run. If those 10 episodes get good ratings, the show is renewed for 90 episodes to quickly stockpile enough episodes to allow for profitable re-runs. The model was made popular with Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and Meet the Browns. Major stars like Ice Cube, Charlie Sheen and George Lopez (he has an upcoming show on FX) have also had their shows picked up under this deal.

Debmar-Mercury, the syndication company who created the unique deal, have sold several shows in this way. Kelsey Grammer and Martin Lawrence are currently in pre-production on an untitled project’s initial 10 episodes. As a matter of fact, the only show to be cancelled after the initial 10 has been Comedy Central’s 2010 Big Lake.

We are excited to see The King of Queens comedian back on the small screen. No potential ideas for the show have been announced.

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